you know this film strikes me as something the BBC should have produced ages ago, or they should have got involved with this production. Just think of the actors and extra budget the BBC could have brought to the project not to mention extra publicity. The strange thing is this is exactly the sort of thing the BBC like to produce/have a hand in, usually cos if they dont Channel 4 come in and put it under their "FilmFour" banner, which would have been no bad thing either. I wonder if either was approached by/approached Pendragon. <br /><br />Hmmmmm Charles, youre a man in the know, can you shed light?

These days, most of the big BBC costume dramas are actually co-productions with American TV companies (watch the end credits). <br /><br />Such series are still popular in the States, and the Beeb rarely now has the money to mount such productions solely on it's own.<br /><br />As for Film Four, it's been closed down following a string of box office flops such as Charlotte Gray, and Channel 4 have effectively pulled out of film production.<br /><br />The only TV company still regularly making large-scale adaptations is probably the U.S. cable channel Hallmark.

so what would have been to stop the BBC co producing with Pendragon? there was no reason for the BBC not to get involved in fact its the sort of thing they might have done themselves at some stage. The BBC is not poor by any means and has produced sci fi before, theres no reason they couldnt again.

you mean as seriously as Dr Who or maybe Blake's 7?. :wacko: <br /><br />the only good sci/fi from the BBC are the comedy stuff, like Red dwarf and Hitch-hiker's guide (which should have been left as a radio series) <_<

I don't remember much about The tripods except in one episode they found a horseless wagon (2CV I think) and for a horrible moment I thought they were going to get it working again. <br /><br />Is it a sequal to WOTW?. :huh:

they did a series called "Invasion Earth" when i was a bit younger that wasnt unacceptably poor, the plot was a bit slow moving though and it left the ending quite ambiguous (aliens were growing this organism thing that fed on the living ground, they theorised nuking the ground would kill it and stop it regrowing as it had done before. The series ended on the nuke being dropped) i liked the uncertain ending and the effects were more than good enough for a tv series, the BBC can do it, its just it doesnt very often<br /><br />edit: went off to try to find something on this program and this is the show i was talking about: <a href='http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140743/' target='_blank'>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140743/</a> read the user comments, boy the americans dont like uncertain endings <br /><br />

Yes I sould have thought of Invaison Earth, I met one of the make-up man responsible for making the body moulds for the pale mute aliens called the Echo's they had black patches on there skin and the body moulds ensured accuracy from scene to scene.<br /><br />yes that wasn't bad.except for the ambiguous ending.

<!--QuoteBegin-Leper Messiah+Jan 22 2005, 03:04 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Leper Messiah @ Jan 22 2005, 03:04 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The BBC is not poor by any means and has produced sci-fi before, theres no reason they couldn't again.[/quote]<br /><br />The Beeb has spent a fortune in the last few years setting up it's satellite channels (BBC3, BBC4, News 24, etc) and investing in the Freeview system. This has left it's finances seriously overscretched elsewhere, and is the main reason it's been flooding the schedules the last few years with gardening series, 'makeover' shows, and DIY programmes - because they're cheap to make.<br /><br />As for producing sci-fi, the Beeb has seemingly adopted a snooty attitude towards the genre over the last several years, and only appears to be willing to make one token series at any one time (outside of children's programmes). Hence the redux of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) was followed by Strange (cancelled after one series) and now the upcoming return of Doctor Who (somehow Sea of Souls has slipped under the radar, probably because it's made by BBC Scotland). <br />In the meantime, attempts by Joss Weedon (creator & producer of Buffy and Angel) to co-produce with the BBC a Buffy spin-off set in England collapsed due to the Beeb dithering about the cost of filming eight episodes (as opposed to the usual UK order of six), which amazed Weedon, who of course is used to producing 22 episode series. <br /><br />

Quote:

The Tripods was good, that was BBC and serious.

<br /><br />Yes it was. It was also cancelled two-thirds of the way through, with the story left unfinished. <br /><br />

Quote:

I don't remember much about The Tripods. Is it a sequel to WOTW?

<br /><br />The series was an adaptation of two books by John Christopher, The White Mountains (first season) and The City of Gold & Lead (second season). The third novel, The Pool of Fire, remains unfilmed. Christopher subsequently wrote a prequel, When the Tripods Came. <br /><br />

Quote:

They did a series called Invasion Earth.

<br /><br />To return to my initial point, Invasion Earth was actually a co-production between the BBC and an American network.<br />

<!--QuoteBegin-Fenris+Jan 22 2005, 11:42 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Fenris @ Jan 22 2005, 11:42 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The Beeb has spent a fortune in the last few years setting up it's satellite channels (BBC3, BBC4, News 24, etc) and investing in the Freeview system. This has left it's finances seriously overscretched elsewhere, and is the main reason it's been flooding the schedules the last few years with gardening series, 'makeover' shows, and DIY programmes - because they're cheap to make.<br /><br />As for producing sci-fi, the Beeb has seemingly adopted a snooty attitude towards the genre over the last several years, and only appears to be willing to make one token series at any one time (outside of children's programmes). Hence the redux of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) was followed by Strange (cancelled after one series) and now the upcoming return of Doctor Who (somehow Sea of Souls has slipped under the radar, probably because it's made by BBC Scotland). <br />In the meantime, attempts by Joss Weedon (creator & producer of Buffy and Angel) to co-produce with the BBC a Buffy spin-off set in England collapsed due to the Beeb dithering about the cost of filming eight episodes (as opposed to the usual UK order of six), which amazed Weedon, who of course is used to producing 22 episode series. <br />Yes it was. It was also cancelled two-thirds of the way through, with the story left unfinished. <br />The series was an adaptation of two books by John Christopher, The White Mountains (first season) and The City of Gold & Lead (second season). The third novel, The Pool of Fire, remains unfilmed. Christopher subsequently wrote a prequel, When the Tripods Came. <br />To return to my initial point, Invasion Earth was actually a co-production between the BBC and an American network.<br />[right][snapback]359[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br /><br /><br />indeed a co-production, thats why i said the BBC should have been involved cos they do co-produce. I think they have the resources to do it (obviously they cant now what with WOTW flying around everywhere) even now but im suprised theyve never done anything WOTW based.

Once again we'r back to the BBC's high-browed attitude to this genre, they just don't like sci/fi any more, :angry: it's like they're embarressed by it, which is a shame because we used to lead the way long before the U.S. did The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits.<br /><br />its also a stupid attitude when you consider most of the blockbuster movies are sci/fi or fantasy. <_<

i dont agree that the BBC outlook on sci fi is all that snooty at all, Channel 4 and ITV dont exactly spade it on, and the BBC do run american sci fi and such. British sci fi as a whole is a rarer thing than it used to be. However WOTW is also a classic piece of literature which is something the BBC are very much into producing (or co-producing) its not unimaginable for them to take on a WOTW effort.

Yes made(past tense) can you name a sci/fi program on the box at the present moment?<br /><br />BBC radio? now thats a different matter, I listen to BBC 7.<br /><br />At 6pm and 12am there is the seventh dimension, sci/fi plays and stories. and well worth a visit.<br />At the moment there is an unabridged reading of C.S.Lewis's 'Perelandra' part two of his 'out of the silent planet' trilogy. It's set on Mars. it's in 18 half hour episodes. :alien32:

The New Doctor Who will be on BBC this spring. With the return of The Daleks and Autons. Having said that with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor it will probably SH*T, but its being written by some of the best and most saught after writers in Britain. Russle T Davis, (Queer as Folk, Messiah) is cheif writer.<br />Could be good but the Doc is going to have a Manchester accent!!!!!<br />But your right on the whole the BBC have steered clear of Sci Fi, when it comes to making it themselves. They did Blakes Seven, but past tense again. The problem is that until now with the advent of CGI we just haven't had the budget to compete with American made television Sci Fi.

Hey Mr Curate, I was born and bread and still live in Liverpool but my Mother, Father Brothers and Sisters were all born in Manchester, so both places are my favorite places on Earth. In fact I had a play on at Contact Theatre in Manchester in 2003 and was nominated for two Manchester Evening News Awards, Best Play and Best Production. For Surf's Up. So I am indebted to the great city. However its like we were saying about the aleins not being Martians, with the Doctor not being posh. If you play the Doctor you have to posh up a bit, and Christopher Eccleston has stated that he's not going to. So a man from Galifrey with any accent other than neutral is going to sound a bit odd.<br />So no offence man of the cloth. And by the way I must say that your behaviour in your days of imprisonment with that nice Journalist fellow was just appaulling.

Back in the 1980s, the Beeb did a pretty good adaptation of 'The Invisible Man'.<br /><br />Apparently, the chap who directed 'The Tripods' was trying to get the Beeb to make WotW afterwards (he felt that with the experience they'd gained with the sfx they could make a pretty good go of it). I think he did actually have talks with the management, but, as we all know, nothing came of it. Crying shame, I think they could have done a good job, even with their not-that-cutting-edge-but-still-okay sfx of the time.

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